Rob Ford on Pot: ‘I’ve Smoked a Lot’

By
CBC News
on August 28, 2013

Rob Ford has stated he does “not use crack cocaine, nor [is he]an addict of crack cocaine,” but he has smoked a lot of marijuana.

The Toronto mayor, who has been accused of having a substance abuse problem, casually announced he has used the drug as he left a luncheon event today. He is the third Canadian politician in a week to admit to marijuana consumption.

“Oh yeah, I won’t deny that. I’ve smoked a lot of it,” he laughed.

Reporters put the question to Ford because earlier in the day Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said she smoked marijuana 35 years ago, before she got into politics.

Wynne addressed marijuana use because her federal counterpart, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, told a reporter a week ago that he had smoked marijuana while serving as a member of Parliament.

Ford’s lighthearted confession comes after months of speculation that the mayor may have a substance abuse problem. In March, a video was being shopped around to media outlets that allegedly showed Ford smoking crack cocaine.